Day After Thanksgiving Potluck Party Ideas

It's November. Which means it's the beginning of the holiday season--starting with Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving, we bring together our families and friends and share a full day of feasting and fun. But when it's all said and done, there's a lot to be packed away in the fridge come evening!

So, the Party Girl (that's me) has a great idea. Why not take the Friday night after Thanksgiving and make it into a Pot Luck Party for the friends you didn't get to see on Thursday? Most people spend the day with their families, and believe me, by Friday we're all ready to blow off some steam, aren't we?

Potluck Leftovers Party Invitation
First you want to let everyone know about your night after Thanksgiving leftovers party. Send a fun personalized Thanksgiving invitation asking those you invite to bring their leftovers to share with everyone in a buffet-full of goodies.

You may want to let everyone know you will provide some sandwich fixings, so if they bring turkey and ham it can also be used for some day after Thanksgiving sandwiches! You'll also have leftover cranberries and stuffing and Jello molds; you'll have desserts including pumpkin pie and other goodies; you'll have appetizers like crab dip, avocado dip and more. I know. We've done this for years. We eat until we explode!

Have little table tents available for your guests to fill out when they arrive. This way they can put down what they brought, their name and the recipe if they have it. Ask them to decorate it with a Thanksgiving/fall motif and you have a built-in activity.

Thanksgiving Decorations and Party Supplies
Use whatever decorations you have leftover from Thanksgiving. If you didn't host it at your house, you can set out some simple things like vases of autumn colored flowers.

This is definitely not the time to break out the fancy dishes (mine would still be piled in the sink!). Set out Thanksgiving paper goods and make cute silverware bundles out of plastic utensils wrapped in a festive napkin, and tied with turkey tinsel garland. That way people can grab and go with the food, and then you can toss instead of wash at the end of it all.

You can also add a little decorations to your beverages (because we all need a drink by now, don't we?) with these glowing ice cubes. Have a mixture of red, orange and yellow cubes (very fall) and they will bring unexpected but highly appreciated fun to your bar.

potluck Activities
Since it is Thanksgiving, you may want to come up with a way for you and your friends to feed and shelter the homeless. Possibly have people bring canned goods, gently worn clothing, and other needed goods. Take the food stuff and make baskets to be delivered.

If you are having a big party or you want something fantastic for your guests, set up a Thanksgiving photo op. Everyone will love their shot at being "Tom the Turkey" or a pilgrim, and it will give everyone photographic proof of what a riot your party was!

Activities are especially important if you will be having kids at the party. Adults and children will love watching "The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" special, so pick up the DVD. Or check out our ways to keep the kids busy with fun crafts and games. Everyone will thank you for it.

Day After Thanksgiving Party Favors
There are some great options for favors for a leftovers party. If everyone brought recipes, why not give out little notebooks so people can write down their favorites? Or put some cookies in a classic leftovers wrapping, like the disposable plastic containers or tinfoil, and add a little note that says "Thanks for sharing your leftovers with us, now take some of this home!".

Make little goodie bags for the kids. Include small, inexpensive items: